Animal life in the spotlight – at bottom of your garden

Published on Thursday 19 June 2008 22:12

READERS are heading out into their gardens and the countryside today to mark the start of the June Wildlife Watch.

Photographs, videos and written records are all welcome as part of The Scotsman’s quarterly nature survey, supported by the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT).

All records will be passed on to Biological Recording in Scotland (Brisc).

A selection of readers’ pictures and notes will be published in The Scotsman next week, while videos will be uploaded to scotsman.com.

The summer round of Wildlife Watch comes to a close on Monday. But which creatures are readers likely to see this weekend as they comb Scotland’s coasts and countryside?

Stephen Owen, an urban ranger at the SWT’s Jupiter Urban Wildlife Centre, near Grangemouth, said: “This is the time when wetlands come to the fore, with lots of dragonflies and damselflies around. Plant life and aquatic life are flourishing.

“Early spring is often said to be the time for woodlands, but late spring and early summer is the time when grasslands will be attracting lots of bumblebees and butterflies.”

On the birds front, he said most of the migratory species – such as swallows and sand martins – will have returned to Scotland by now, with the swifts usually being the last to arrive.

Mr Owen added: “June is also a good time of year for bats, which will be breeding. The lighter evenings mean you have a better chance of seeing them and other nocturnal animals, like badgers and hedgehogs, because they become more active before dusk.”

Members of Wild Scotland, the national wildlife and nature tourism operators’ association, have also been busy recording the species they have seen.

David Greenhalgh, who runs About Mull Tours, said: “The white-tailed and golden eagle chicks have all hatched and the parent birds are busy supplying food for them, which makes for some great sightings as they fly in and away from the nest sites.”

Susan Grant, of Arisaig Marine, said: “Dolphins have been about in good numbers and have enthralled passengers with their acrobatic displays, and the puffins are still regular visitors up until the beginning of July.”

HOW TO JOIN IN

WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?

Go outside this weekend and make a record of the wildlife you see. Either take photographs or make written notes and e-mail them to: [e-mail] or post to: Wildlife Watch, The Scotsman, 108 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, EH8 8AS. You can also e-mail videos.

WHAT NOTES SHOULD I TAKE?

You should note down: the name of the species; the date you saw it; where you saw it (preferably including a postcode or a six-figure grid reference); and your own name and contact details. The records will be collected by The Scotsman and passed to the SWT and Brisc.

Books to help you identify wildlife are often available in libraries. The SWT and RSPB websites can also be helpful: www.swt.org.uk and www.rspb.org.uk